Worth It
by cautiousAlbatross
Summary: Dave persuades Rose and Kanaya to do something more than a little stupid.


You've been wanting to get your lip pierced for a while. You've always thought Porrim's piercing was cool, and Rose thinks it's a great idea. Rose herself has nose and eyebrow piercings, but nothing in her mouth. She also hates visiting the dentist, so you think she might just have a problem with stuff going on in her mouth in general. Despite her qualms about getting her own mouth pierced, she has no problems with you doing the same, and even giggles about kissing you with a ring in your lip.

Even though you're fairly certain you'd be fine on your own, you're glad Rose comes with you. This isn't exactly like getting your ears pierced, and you're more than a little worried it will hurt a hell of a lot more than just a little. It's getting close to closing time when you wander in, and part of you hopes that means you won't have to do this today. Rose squeezes your hand and you know she knows you're more scared than you'd like to admit. A woman with an impressive set of eyebrow piercings and heavily tattooed arms steps through from the back and gives you a friendly smile.

"Hi, can I help you?"

You glance over at Rose, and she smiles.

"My friend is thinking of getting her lip pierced," Rose explains, and metal-brows smiles.

"I just wanted to know," you say, nervously chewing your lip, "How much does it hurt? And how long? And..."

You continue bombarding her with questions until you're satisfied that, yes, it will hurt, but, no, it won't be the end of the world.

"Well, we're about to close, but I'm sure we can fit you in now, if you'd like."

You hesitate before nodding, glancing over at Rose, who gives you an encouraging smile.

"All right. You're old enough not to need parental permission, so you just need to sign this," she says, handing you a piece of paper, "And we can do it straight away."

You smile nervously and quickly scribble _Kanaya Maryam _in the box, your hand shaking a little.

"It smells like a dentist's back here," Rose says, wrinkling her nose, and you laugh.

You try not to pay attention to the woman setting up the equipment, but that's easier said than done, especially when the equipment in question is about to stab a hole in your face.

"You'll be fine," Rose says, when she notices the nervous look on your face.

You nod, but you're not sure you really believe her.

"Okay, I just need to clamp your lip," the woman says, coming over.

You try to smile, but you think you've forgotten how. You aren't sure you remember how to talk, either. Luckily, the clamp means you don't have to. It's uncomfortable, but not painful. Then again, you didn't expect it to be. Rose slips her hand into yours and you clutch it a little more tightly than is strictly necessary.

"Now take a deep breath in, and breathe out."

You glance nervously at the needle in her hand, but do as she says, closing your eyes as tight as you can. You freeze and wait for the pain to come, but it doesn't. All you feel is a slight burning sensation. Confused, you open you eyes to see her staring at you.

"Did you do it?" you ask, trying to look down at your lip.

Rose laughs, and the woman says "Yes," with a small smile.

"Oh," you say, "I thought it would hurt more."

The woman laughs before sliding the jewellery in and releasing your lip from the clamp. She shows you your face in a mirror, and you grin widely.

You listen carefully to all the aftercare instructions before leaving, still holding Rose's hand a little too tightly.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Rose asks, with a concerned look.

"What? Oh, yes," you say, releasing her hand with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"It looks really good," she says, and you can't help but grin.

"Thanks, I-"

"Hey there, ladies," a familiar voice interrupts you, and you and Rose both roll your eyes at each other.

"Hello, Dave," says Rose, shrugging his arm off of her shoulder, "What are you doing here?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't think there was anything illegal about taking a walk," he says, and she rolls her eyes.

You smile to yourself. You're fairly certain they love each other really, but you can never be sure.

"So what are you two doing out on this fine night?" he asks, glancing over at you.

"Well," you say, smiling, and he looks at you again, his eyes widening as he notices your lip.

"Oh, very rebellious," he says, and Rose elbows him in the ribs, "Mommy would be shocked."

"Shut up, Dave," Rose says, slipping her arm around your shoulder, "No one asked your opinion."

"Ah, but my opinion is, of course, the most infinitely valid of all the opinions."

"That doesn't even make sense," you say, wrinkling your nose, and he grins.

"If you two really wanted to make the most of your little rebellious phase," he says, a mischievous expression on his face, "You'd probably have to steal something."

"We're not stealing anything," Rose says, sighing heavily.

"Clearly not," Dave says, "Obviously you're a little too cowardly for that. Enjoying your safe little law-abiding lives."

"I don't see you breaking any laws," she says, and you smile.

"That's because I'm good enough not to get caught."

"We're not stealing something just because you think it's a good idea," you say, rolling your eyes.

"Oh, really?"

As it turns out, you were wrong. You're not exactly sure how he persuaded you to do it, but you're now leaving a garden center at high speed, pushing a wheelbarrow which you didn't exactly acquire legally. The wheelbarrow in question is bright green and apparently worth $49.99, although you think that's a bit extortionate.

"Come on, let's go!" Rose says, running up beside you and leaping into the wheelbarrow.

"I think this might be a bit easier if you weren't sitting in the wheelbarrow," you say, struggling a little against the extra weight.

"It's downhill once we're out of here, anyway," she says, smirking.

"I still don't see why I have to do the pushing," you say, pushing the wheelbarrow out onto the sidewalk and, with difficulty, angling it so it faces downhill, "Ready?"

"Let's go!"

You start pushing as hard as you can, barely managing to keep the back end raised off of the ground, your feet sliding a little. As the wheelbarrow starts to gain speed, you give up on pushing and settle for just trying to keep up with it, holding the rear end up so it doesn't stop.

"Kanaya! Kanaya!" Rose shouts, and you look up, "Corner, Kanaya, corner!"

"It's going too fast!" you shout back at her, "I can't steer it!"

"All right! When I say go, let go!"

"Okay!"

"Three... Two... One... GO!"

You release the handles and skid to a halt, and watch Rose leap out of the wheelbarrow and land on the grass, rolling over twice before coming to a halt and jumping up. The wheelbarrow crashes into a hedge and you laugh.

"And now, we run," Rose says, grabbing your hand and sprinting off.

You keep running, half a step behind her, until you're both out of breath and barely able to walk, let alone run. Laughing breathlessly, you collapse next to each other on a grassy verge.

"I think... we're safe," you say, panting.

Rose nods wordlessly, looking too tired to even smile. You start laughing, but you still can't breathe properly, so it sounds more like you're gasping for air.

"Well, that... was impressive."

Dave looms over you, blocking at the sun, and you lazily stick your tongue out at him.

"Suck... it," Rose says, throwing one arm over her eyes.

"I'll leave you two to die in peace, then," he says, smirking.

You lift one arm and raise your middle finger at him, then let your hand flop down onto your stomach. He just laughs, then walks off.

"Was that... really worth it?" you ask, turning to look at Rose.

"Yeah," she says, smiling, "I think... so."

You grin. You probably think so, too.


End file.
